We are All trees of Life…

We are ALL trees of Life….

By Larah Davis – Founder and Co-Director of Ibiza Retreats

Photography by Sofia Gomez Fonzo

October is the gateway to autumn here in Ibiza and as the fig trees lose their leaves and the earthy scent of the Algarrobas (Carob trees) soothes our senses, I am remembering that Autumn is a time of slowing down and turning inward. 

But with Climate Change and Caring for our Planet crying out for attention, this year our inner consciousness is also asking us to keep looking outwards, to a planetary greater good, and to listen to our consciences to make vital changes, both inside and out.

I marched with my son last Friday 27th September – at 8 years old he held his banner high to “Wake UP and Save our Planet” and I felt tears rolling down my cheeks as my heart burst open.  With his friends and with other parents, school teachers, grandparents, walking through the streets of Ibiza, the sense of one-ness, of purpose and hope was palpable, uplifting and yet also with a sense of urgency too.

To support this hope we have to act now.

We have to take our Yoga off the mat and embrace TAPAS – the 3rd of the Niyamas, the Yogic Ethical Guidelines which means, in essence, embracing the self-discipline of having less, living more simply.

We need to ritually, seasonally, shed our old leaves. Both for our souls, and for our planet. Specifically, the leaves of excess, the ‘quick and easy’ plastic-use habits, the unnecessary car journeys – and flights – that create more carbon dioxide.

And so Susie and I, as owners of Ibiza Retreats, felt deep in our hearts, as the falling leaves revealed that this Autumn, we need to PLANT IT FORWARD!

We have committed to plant a tree for each guest coming to stay with us in Ibiza to offset the travel that taxes our environment.

With the help of the Ibiza Preservation Fund we are exploring which are the best trees to enhance our island’s biodiversity.

We are also supporting TREESISTERS – this amazing organization and vibrant sisterhood of women saying yes to new life, actively seeding the future we need to create for future generations.
Please click on this link to sign up to their newsletters and to donate to help support their incredible work!

In order to have the clarity and freedom for our branches to wave freely, our hearts need to be clear, we have to live in integrity.

Autumn is a time of reflection, reassessment and of release. It is also a time of nurturing ourselves and each other, our purpose, life’s deeper meaning, and thus our holistic health, on retreat.

We are offering two final beautiful and uplifting retreats for you this October.

GANESHA RETREAT to dive deep into the spiritual philosophies of Yoga, lead by the internationally renowned Yoga Teacher Trainer Suzanne Faith – and GLOW, our Yoga-as-medicine Autumn Revitalisation Yoga & Wellness weekender led by our dedicated Ibiza Retreats’ Team.

And finally, from the ‘front-line’ of selfless service, on our recent NOURISH retreat, it was an honour to receive the courageous and deeply inspiring Lilian Simonsson who, has spent years supporting refugees on the ground in the Calais Jungle, before going on to establish the ENTHUM FOUNDATION. Please do read more about their inspiring work and donate, share, spread the word of love for humanity.

What old “leaves” of patterns and habits are you ready to shed? Leaving more time and energy to care for each other, and our planet, instead.  

YOGA means UNION – and in our essence, we are all unified, humanity and nature, as one organism, living in our beautiful hopeful world.
We just have to remember – and choose the TAPAS of right action – for the greater good of our planet, and of us all.

With love, with gratitude for all those of you reading these words and sharing these paths. Together we rise…Larah x